Still, he was on guard whenever people approached him and stayed that way until he could determine if they were talking to him because they wanted to and not because they were directed to.
And what made it all that much funnier was you’d think he was one of the damn Kennedys or Rockefellers with the way people treated him. Granted, the Bishops were a wealthy family and very prominent in the community, but this was a fairly small community! He had no doubt that if someone transplanted his folks into the middle of Manhattan or L.A., they would not measure up to their own hype!
Either way, the people of Magnolia Sound treated Mason and his family with a bit of awe and respect that he never quite understood. And why so many people wanted to be a part of their family was a complete mystery to him.
Walking through the gate, he stopped and smiled. There were multiple food and drink counters and none had more than a handful of people waiting. Deciding he could finally take a breath and relax, he opted to hit the restroom first, then grab a drink before heading back to his family’s cordoned-off section of the world.
“This is amazing! Oh, my gosh, the band sounds so good!”
Scarlett smiled at Courtney even as she fanned herself with the concert program to try to cool off.
It wasn’t working.
Their seats were literally in the last row with their backs to the wall and even though the venue was small, they were far enough from the stage that she had to squint a bit to see the guys in the band clearly.
Then her squint turned to a glare when she caught sight of the VIP crowd.
Look at them–with their fans and their food and drinks being brought to them like they own the damn place…
Okay, maybe she did have a chip on her shoulder that she was getting tired of, but old habits die hard, right?
It didn’t seem fair how most of the people here had to walk and get their own refreshments while fanning themselves with wrinkled and wilted paper while the high-society snobs practically had people fanning them and feeding them grapes.
“I love this song!” Courtney cried out and Scarlett had to admit, she liked it too. She just needed to focus on the music and not on how unfair life was.
Reaching for her bottle of water, she was about to take a sip when the drunk guy next to her elbowed it out of her hand while he was attempting to dance.
Awesome.
Now her pants were wet and her water was gone.
Muttering a curse, she moved around Courtney and explained how she was going to get a drink and offered to get one for her too. With a wave, she wandered down what felt like a mile of stairs and made her way out to the concession area. By the time she made it there, her pants were practically dry but she opted to run into the ladies room to freshen up. When she stepped out five minutes later, she scanned the concession area to figure out what she wanted to get.
And that’s when she saw him.
Mason Bishop.
He was standing all alone and sort of doing the same as her–looking around with an utter lack of enthusiasm.
For a minute she almost felt a kinship with him.
Then, pushing thoughts of him aside again, Scarlett squared her shoulders and made her way toward one of the kiosks that only sold water and soft drinks. Looking down, she rummaged through her tiny purse to find some cash and walked solidly into someone.
“Oof!”
Her eyes widened when she realized who she had run into.
Dammit.
For some reason, her stupid heart decided to skip a beat and when the smile on Mason’s face dawned with recognition, she had no idea if she’d be able to form a single word.
“Scarlett, right? Scarlett Jones?” And yes, his voice was just as sexy as the rest of him.
Double dammit.
Her throat was suddenly dry and when she forced herself to meet his gaze, she felt like the same insecure thirteen-year-old girl she was when she last had a conversation with him. Forcing herself to clear her throat, she nodded. “Uh, yeah. Hey.”
No doubt the smile she was currently trying to pull off was awkward but Mason didn’t seem to mind.
“So, how’ve you been?” he asked with genuine interest and Scarlett had to wonder why he even wanted to have a conversation with her. Why couldn’t he simply say “excuse me” and walk away?
Clearly she was taking a little too long with her response because he arched one brow at her but his smiled never faltered.
Wait…did he have dimples?
Gah! Why was she being so weird about this?
“Good,” she finally said. “And you?”
He shrugged as his hands slid into the pockets of his cargo shorts. “Good. Yeah, I’m good too.” Turning, he looked over his shoulder briefly and then back to her. “You enjoying the concert?”
She shrugged. “It’s a little too warm out to truly enjoy it, but the music’s good.”
Mason nodded and Scarlett realized there wasn’t really much else to say. They had done the polite chit-chat thing and now she really needed something to drink and to get back to her seat so Courtney didn’t think she just ran off.
“Well…I just came out here to grab a bottle of water. I guess I’ll see you around,” she said and turned to walk away.
“Hey!” he called out even as he fell in step with her. “Where are you sitting?”
It was quite possibly the worst thing he could have asked. Scarlett felt herself tense up but refused to shy away from answering him.
“Back row,” she stated, almost as if she were daring him to make a lame comment.
Nodding, he replied, “Great view from up there! And you probably don’t have to deal with people banging into you from all sides.”
The boyish grin was still in place, dimples and all, and it was almost hard to be annoyed with him.
Almost.
“You’re down in the VIP section, right?” she asked, crossing her arms across her chest because…obviously she needed to make some sort of social stand.
With another nod, he shrugged. “Yeah. My folks thought it would be fun to have us all down there.”
For a minute, she was confused. It seemed like he wasn’t all that thrilled to be down there and he certainly wasn’t bragging.
Weird.
“So, what are you doing slumming it up here?” And yeah, there was a snap in her voice that almost made her cringe.
Why are you being so bitchy?
“Uh…what?”
“You’ve wandered to the wrong side of the tracks, Bishop. Don’t they have butler service down there for your group? Champagne and caviar and whatnot?”
Now he was the one to look confused and for the first time, his smile started to fall. Tilting his head slightly, Mason studied her. “Is there…I mean…do you have some sort of problem with me?”
Where did she even begin?
“Look, it’s not you, per se,” she began. “I’m just wondering why you’d be up here with the common folk when you can be catered to, that’s all.”
Scarlett was fairly certain he’d figure she was some sort of nut job and walk away.
But did he?
No.
If anything, his smile was back in full-force and he laughed.
Hard.
“You want to know something funny?” he asked.
With a careless shrug, she replied, “Not particularly.”
“Aww…come on. Aren’t you even a little curious?” He nudged her with his shoulder and he was so much bigger than her that Scarlett nearly toppled over. Mason’s hands immediately reached out to steady her and she was quick to move away. She was already having a hard time remembering why she shouldn’t like him and even the brief touch of his hands on her skin had her wanting to almost rub up against him.
Bad, Scarlett!
“Well?” he prompted teasingly and she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh even as she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, sure. Tell me something funny.”
His laugh was low and a little gruff and
a lot sexier than she thought a laugh could be. “That almost sounds like a dare, Jones.”
Now it was her turn to arch a brow at him. “Jones? Seriously?”
He shrugged. “Seemed appropriate.”
“Was that what you thought was funny?” It was meant to sound like she was impatient, but really, she was enjoying the banter.
Mason leaned in close again. “No, but now it kind of is.”
“Get to the point, Bishop,” she said and this time, Scarlett was pretty sure she sounded flirty, not intentionally flirty, but it just came out that way.
And it seemed to please Mason.
“I guess I deserve that one,” he said and then paused for a moment. “So here’s what’s funny–I was sitting down in the VIP section and thinking how ridiculous it all was. Is it convenient not to have to get up and come up here for refreshments? Sure. But for the most part, it seemed pretty pointless to me.”
“And pretentious,” she added unapologetically.
With a hearty laugh, he nodded. “That too.” They stood like that–sort of watching each other with smiles on their faces–for less than a minute before Mason asked, “What are you doing after the show?”
There was no way to hide her surprise. Guys like Mason Bishop never showed any interest in her and she had to wonder why he even was. She knew she hadn’t been particularly friendly and, other than her one flirty comment, she didn’t think she had encouraged him at all.
“I thought maybe we could go grab a drink and catch up,” he said, clearly trying to prompt her to respond.
A couple of people started walking around them to grab some beverages and as if of one mind, they both moved away from the kiosk and toward the brick wall that stood in front of the restrooms. It was suddenly quieter and Scarlett knew she was going to have to say something–she couldn’t stand there mutely much longer.
“Um…thanks, but…I can’t,” she finally said.
“Oh,” he said, and it was obvious he was disappointed. “Are you here with someone?”
She wasn’t going to play dumb and act like she didn’t know what he was fishing for. “I’m here with my friend Courtney.”
“Baker?” he asked.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
He shrugged again. “We had some classes together and I thought I remembered the two of you being friends.”
Wait…what? He noticed and remembered that?
“Uh…yeah, so I’m here with her and I probably should get back to up to my seat and…”
“Don’t go,” he said, moving in shamelessly closer. Scarlett could feel the heat of his body, could smell his cologne and all thoughts of going back to her spot in the nosebleed section were forgotten. “I mean…what’s the hurry?”
Scarlett tried to think up something witty to say, but her mind was a complete blank.
Okay, that wasn’t totally true. She was thinking about how in a perfect world she could have just said yes–that she’d love to go out with him after the concert. Or better yet, that she could just go back to his celebrity section and watch the rest of the show together.
“C’mon,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “If you won’t go out with me later, hang out for a bit now.”
And then she completely embarrassed and horrified herself.
She giggled.
God, she hated women who did that.
She was one step away from twirling her hair and Scarlett knew she needed to get herself under control.
“Have a drink with me,” he prompted.
“I really just wanted some water.”
“Then we’ll have water.”
Her laugh this time wasn’t quite so girly, but there was a huskiness to it she didn’t recognize either. “You can drink whatever you’d like. You don’t have to be lame just because I am.” Standing this close to him, she could smell the beer on his breath so she knew he was most likely out here to grab another one.
“I don’t think you’re being lame, Jones,” he said playfully, being a total flirt. “I think it’s hot as hell out here and it’s probably the smarter choice than what I was thinking.”
“Well…I try to be practical.”
Wow. Way to sound appealing, dork.
His grin was downright boyish and if she wasn’t mistaken, he moved a little closer. Only…she didn’t feel crowded by him. If anything, she wished she were bold enough to do the same.
“Practical can be good,” he commented. “But sometimes it’s fun to be a little…impulsive.”
Oh my…
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Are we still talking about beverages?”
And yeah, that totally wasn’t her voice.
Mason let out a low groan and slowly licked his bottom lip and Scarlett couldn’t believe how incredibly attractive she found the move. Her eyes traced the movement and when she looked up and met his steel-blue eyes, she felt like everything around them faded away–the crowds, the noise, the music–and all that was left was the two of them.
It didn’t seem possible and her first thought was how she was just feeling this way because it had been so damn long since she’d been with a guy. But the longer they continued to look at each other, the more she realized it had nothing to do with how much time it had been–it was all him. All Mason. And as much as she wanted to be annoyed by that fact, she couldn’t seem to make that happen. Whatever was happening was happening, and she was more than willing to let it.
What was the harm in hanging out with him for a bit? Hell, what was the harm in flirting? It wasn’t as if this were going anywhere and there was no one around to tell her he was out of her league or to remind him how he shouldn’t be hanging around with someone so beneath his social status. Right now they were just a man and a woman maybe having a drink and a little conversation.
Flirty conversation.
She could do that, right?
For a little while, she could be the girly-girl no one thought she could be and have the full attention of one of the most eligible bachelors in town. How hard could it be?
Doing her best to relax, Scarlett smiled up at Mason. “So, we were going to have an impulsive drink, right?”
His grin was slow and sexy as hell. “Well, that would have been my request for after the show. But since you have plans…”
She shrugged. “Then I guess we should do it now before we both miss the entire concert.” Her tone was light and carefree and she had to admit, it felt good.
“Stay right here,” he said anxiously before sprinting over to the drink kiosk. Scarlett wasn’t sure how he did it, but he managed to be back with two bottles of water in less than a minute. It was almost as if the small crowd parted for him and let him skip to the front of the line.
And seriously, that wouldn’t surprise her at all.
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the drink from him. “But you seriously could have gotten something else.”
“And risk taking too much time away from the little we have?”
Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t suppress her laughter. “Dude, seriously? That has to be the cheesiest line ever!”
Luckily, he laughed with her. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I think I could come up with a few more if you gave me the chance.”
Her curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to know what exactly the infamous Mason Bishop considered to be cheesy pickup lines. “I’m giving you the chance. Lay them on me,” she challenged as she leaned against the cool brick.
His eyes went wide. “That’s how you want to spend our time?”
That just had her laughing again. “I’m sure there are better ways, but I thought I’d see if you were up for the challenge.”
Oh my God…I did not just say that!
His gaze turned a little heated and he took a quick drink before bending down and placing the bottle on the ground. When he straightened, he mimicked her pose against the brick. “Challenge accepted.”
“Bring it on.”
And she on
ly partially meant the cheesy lines.
Clearing his throat, Mason’s expression went a little serious before he said, “Hey, baby. Come here often?”
She gave him a bland look. “That wasn’t particularly cheesy. Boring, yes. Cheesy, no.” She placed her bottle of water on the ground next to his.
Holding up a hand, he said, “Alright, alright…give me a minute.” Then he paused and cleared his throat again, this time giving her a sexy grin. “I'm not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together.”
Laughing softly, Scarlett nodded. “Okay, that was a good one.”
“I was feeling a little off today, but you definitely turned me on.” Mason waggled his eyebrows at her and she couldn’t help but laugh harder. He shifted his position so he was standing straight in front of her. “Girl, you’re like Netflix. Because I could watch you for hours.”
Tears were starting to stream down her face and as she reached out, her hand landed on his chest. “Oh, my gosh…stop!” she said between fits of laughter. “You’re clearly the king of cheesy lines!”
Placing one of his hands over hers, he pressed it firmly over his heart. “Do you have a map? I'm getting lost in your eyes.”
“And we have a winner!” she cried, taking a minute to calm back down. “I…I should get back to my seat.” Doing her best to casually pull her hand from his very muscular chest, Scarlett prayed her mascara wasn’t running down her face. When she realized he wasn’t releasing her, she sobered and looked up at him, only to find that he wasn’t laughing anymore either. Suddenly they were very close and very quiet and she had no idea how they had gotten to this place so fast.
“Hey, Scarlett?” he asked, his voice low and gruff.
“Yeah?” Her own voice a little low and breathless.
“It’s traditional to kiss goodnight at the end of a date.”
With a small and semi-nervous laugh, she looked down and shook her head. “I thought we were done with the cheesy lines.”
He tucked a finger under her chin until she looked up at him. “No line. This is me telling you what I want.”
Her eyes went a little wide when she realized what he was saying. “Oh.”
Lame, Scarlett. Totally lame.
“Is that okay?” His voice was barely a whisper and all she could do was nod.
In Case You Didn’t Know Page 3